Two Broken Halves Don't Make A Whole
by Hawkeyeisbae
Summary: Clint is a hard man to find, unless he comes to you. Coulson knows this from years of trying. Yet he still tries. Barton makes the job slightly easier by stumbling into SHIELD's secret base, one problem he's half dead. Phil takes immediate action to help him: but there's only so much you can do for a man that broken. Unless you're Bobbi , as his ex-wife you can do a little more.
1. The ex-wife

Clint was in bad shape a when he finally managed to drag himself into the bunker. Fury had given him the location of all his secret bases shortly after he had joined shield. He liked to run off when he was younger, Fury had thought he at least deserved a safe place to stay. The bases both while he was on missions and on the run had saved his ass more than once both before shield fell and after.

Clint is so out of it that he doesn't pick up on the obvious signs that the base is inhabited he's just focused on reaching the area where he can obtain medical. One of the triplets would find him lurking eventually and force him to check in. As he stumbles from wall to wall his vision swims he's half to his location when his eyes start playing tricks on him, just before he blacks out Clint swears Coulson appears in front of him.

"Guess I'm screwed." he says just as his he collapses to the floor.

Phil Coulson catches Clint's head before it can smash off the cement. It only takes a quick evaluation to realize that Clint is possibly in critical condition. He shouts over his shoulder as loud as he possibly can for help. Skye, Mack, Simmons and Fittz all respond to his call, their jaws going slack when they see the body of the person Coulson is supporting.

"Is that…" Skye asks slightly starstruck.

"It is." Mack, who has worked with Clint before answers, he moves quickly to assist Coulson. Simmons is the next to snap out of her trance, she begins taking off down the hallway at the brisk jog, Fittz follows on her heels. Skye becomes mobile again and assists with supporting Barton's weight, not that she really needs to with Mack helping but with her help their easily able to keep Clint's body up off of the ground.

"How'd he get in?" Skye wants to know, she had personally upgraded the software to keep out all agents who Coulson had not specifically said should be able to gain access, Barton had not been such an agent.

"Fury probably had some fail safe in the system." Coulson grunts through clenched teeth, he's visibly straining himself lifting Barton who looks much lighter than he actually is. "Barton probably knew about this place long before we ever did."

"What makes you say that?" Mack asks, personally knowing Barton he wouldn't be surprised if Coulson's suspicions are true, but he wants to know the reasoning behind it.

"Let's just get him to medical." Coulson's jaw is clenched in worry. The others notice but don't say anything, instead they hurry their pace.

It takes them under five minutes to reach the medical wing, but in that time Clint's condition seems to have increasingly declined. The moment Mack and Skye place Barton onto the table, Fittz begins barking orders at her team. Not knowing the exact cause of Barton's unconscious state they begin running tests.

"Get me Billy." Coulson barks, as he watches Simmons work. When no one moves he snaps at them. "That's an order." Mack quickly exits the room.

"Coulson." Bobbi runs into the room shortly followed by May. When she sees Barton looking mostly dead on the operating table a hand flies to her mouth, Coulson instinctively grabs her hand and squeezes it.

"He's going to be okay, Bobbi." Coulson murmurs trying to be comforting but it's hard when he's not sure himself.

"I know it's just…" Skye gasps in shock when she sees tears well behind Bobbi's eyes, she's never seen the woman cry. Bobbi looks helplessly at Coulson, seeking comfort in his own worried eyes.

"Too familiar." Coulson supplies, before looking to Simmons. "His blood type it A negative, no need to do tests." Simmons nods dropping her work she instead instructs a nurse to fetch the required blood. Coulson turns back to Bobbi. "I know that feeling."

"Wait, does someone want to tell me what is going on here?" Skye's confusion is displayed for all to see across her face.

"I'll tell you." Hunter says from his position leaning in the doorway. "Bobbi and the bloke on that operating table used to be married." Hunter's voice gives no emotion as he himself stares at Clint.

"I thought you're her ex-husband."

"I am. She's got more than one."

"Shut it, Hunter. This isn't a time to be jealous."

"I think it bloody well is, Bobbi." Hunter has lost his temper now and is beginning to shout. "What the hell is he doing here? You've got to have been the one to invite him. You know, just when I think things are starting to go good between us, you pull a shit stunt like this."

"I didn't invite him, Hunter." Bobbi is practically in hysterics.

"The why the hell is he here? Huh? I don't think he just found this place on his own."

"Hunter…" Bobbi begins to beg just as Simmons looks up from her work, furious.

"Everyone out." She bellows. "All of you, you can argue somewhere else but right now, right here I've got to save someone's life and I can't do that with you all arguing around me."

Stunned momentarily by Emma's outburst, everyone slowly shuffles out of the room. They stay silent as they all go to wait for the news about Barton in the commons.

Mack returns with Billy after a fashion. Like usual, Billy doesn't even need to be asked what is going on, he already knows.

"Clint's been coming here for years." Billy address' Coulson only. "Since before I was assigned here actually, he's actually the one who gave me orientation. Fury gave Barton the entire list of secret bases years ago. He pops in and out of one every few months."

"Why?" Coulson's never been one to question Fury's intentions but when it comes to Barton he needs all the pieces of the puzzle he can get.

"From what Barton's told me over the years, he used to run away a lot. I guess he joined SHIELD as a kid or something, anyway, the secret bases gave him a safe place to go and clear his head. Fury told me to never question why Clint came, if he didn't offer information I wasn't to request it. All I was allowed to do when he showed up was to offer him medical treatment if he needed it. I'm not an expert on mental illness but from what I can tell he's got some kind of depression or something. Possibly anxiety as well, like I said I've never asked, but I do know sometimes he came in here in a really low place."

"Did he…?" Skye voices the words that they're all thinking, at least everyone but Bobbi.  
"No, he didn't do that to himself. Clint's a stupid asshole, but he's not that stupid. If he had wanted to end things, well he would have ended them. Someone or something attacked him."

"I agree." Coulson shoots Bobbi a small smile.

"How'd he know that we're based here?" May asks, everyone looks at her shocked they'd forgotten she was in the room.

"I don't think he did. He looked genuinely shocked to see me, May. It was just before he passed out, but he didn't know I'd be here."

"Can we trust him?"

"Fury told me we could." Phil sighs, his hand absentmindedly running through his thinning hair.

"That doesn't mean we should." May points out.

"May…" Coulson's voice breaks and he abruptly stops talking, but she understands. Clint had been just a scared little kid when Coulson had pulled him into SHIELD. Clint was the closest thing Phil had to a family, to a son.

"Where's he been this last year."

"With the Avengers." Skye butts into the conversation. "At least that's what I assume."

"Clint left the Avengers after Sakovia." Bobbi discredits Skye's theory. "He sent me a picture of his son…"

"He's got another kid." Phil's face reflects the pain he feels for not knowing something so important.

"Yeah," Bobbi eyes Hunter who looks angrier every minute they spend talking about Clint. "Nathaniel. He's just under a year now." Hunter seems about to go off on another rant when Fittz appears in the doorway.

"Simmons says you can all come back now, he's stable and… awake."

"What's with the hesitation, Fittz?"

"He's… well you should probably see for yourselves."

Only Bobbi and Coulson follow Fittz back toward medical, the others under May's own orders stay behind to give them the privacy they deserve at this reunion.

The medical staff have all cleared from the room, leaving only monitors to look after Clint. As both Bobbi and Phil step into the room, Fittz leaves as well. They both begin to walk toward Clint, afraid that in the few minutes Fittz was gone Barton might have died but their worries are quickly pushed away when they see the steady rise and fall of his chest.

"He was always hard to kill wasn't he." Bobbi chuckles slightly, her eyes snapping to Clint's when she sees them flicker open. She notes the Coulson retreats silently from the room.

"Bobbi…?" Clint's voice sounds weak, he struggles to sit up so that he can see her. She steps forward and pushes him back down against the bed.

"Don't." Is all she says, meanwhile pulling up a chair so that she can sit beside his head. "You'll hurt yourself."

"Seems I've already done a pretty damn good job at that." He chuckles slightly, it doesn't escape her notice that the action brings him pain.

"Don't laugh." She instructs, reaching for his hand. She gives it a gentle squeeze.

"I forgot what a bitch you can be." While it sounds offensive, she knows the words are some of Clint's highest words of affection at least for her. "Bobbi… what are you doing here?"

"This is SHIELD, we rebuilt after Hydra. You seem to have stumbled into our main headquarters."

"Oh, well I guess that's good. SHIELD always did have good medical. I suppose I'll be up running around in no time then." He tries to sit up again only to quickly let himself fall back down against the bed. "Or, maybe not." He winces as he repositions his arm.

"What happened?" Bobbi knows that Coulson is watching from outside the viewing window, assessing if Clint will be able to handle his return from the dead.

"I'm on my deathbed and you're going to interrogate me." Clint barks a humorless laugh. "Some things never change I guess."

"Clint, that's not funny."

"Yeah, I guess it's not." He grows silent and she watches as he retreats into the memories. She sees incredible pain flash across his face. It alarms her how much is there.

"What's wrong? She asks already starting to motion for Phil to call Simmons back in to administer something to take away the pain. She never wants to see the look of pain on this man's face again, she had told him that years ago.

"Nothing, just thinking." There's the sound of ruffling sheets as he repositions himself so that he's lying flat on his back. "They're all dead, Bobs." Bobbi's heart flutters a bit hearing Clint use his old nickname for her, a name that Hunter had picked up on and still calls her.

"Whose dead?" She tries to keep her voice calm but it's hard when he's just told her that people are dead. Her heart drops to the pit of her stomach when she sees Clint's face, he turns to look at her, pain and sorrow burning through his eyes.

"My family." A single tear falls from his eye. Bobbi has never seen him cry, and she's known him for years. She's seen the good, the bad, the ugly, and the hurt Clint. But she's never seen him like this, before even on his worst days she'd have never described Clint as broken but now it's the word that swells forward in her mind. She herself wants to cry, she feels her eyes tear up. "They killed them all. I wasn't home." Clint seems to have no fight in him. "Laura, fought. I saw that in the carnage, she tried to save the kids but… the monster murdered them." He looks at Bobbi again, turning his broken eyes to her. "What kind of monster murders kids, Bobs? They didn't, he didn't even spare the baby. What kind of man takes revenge out on another man's family? How can he be that fucking sick, Bobs."

"I...I...I don't know, Clint. I'm so…"

"Don't you dare say sorry, Bobs. Don't you dare. I can't take that, Bobs, I just can't"

"What happened?"

"Someone from my past came 'round, like they always eventually do. After Sakovia I told Laura I'd stay home for awhile. I'd been at the farm for almost nine months when he finally found. It's my guess that he'd been looking for years. I'd left the house to go to the store when he decided to show up. I wasn't gone more than an hour. When I came home the sick bastard was sitting there waiting for me. I've seen a lot of bad things Bobs, but nothing, nothing has ever been as bad as that."

"How'd you get so beat up?"

"I killed the bastard." Clint's eyes go hard, they show no mercy or remorse. It's a new look on him. He'd killed people, Bobbi knew that. She'd seen him do it, and she'd also seen the after effects. When they had been married she'd always known which missions had been assassination and which ones had not. He'd come back from the assassinations a complete and utter wreck. They'd been much younger then, and Clint had been much more of a softy. Sometimes he wouldn't talk for days, he'd try to act normal but Bobbi had understood that sometimes he just couldn't. She'd help as much as she could being there for him, but she was always silently glad that killing hadn't come easy to him. It assured her that the man she loved was still a man. She had never seen Clint take a life without showing remorse for who was lost, even the darkest most horrible men, Clint had mourned. That is until now. The thought, the idea, sends chills down her spine. She visibly shudders. "But not before he landed a few good hits."

"Who did it?"

"Barney." Bobbi knows only one man named Barney, and that's Clint's brother. The idea that the man who had sat beside her then husband on their wedding day was ungraspable. Before Bobbi can come up with some kind of response, her phone buzzes. She sees Clint watch her with guarded eyes. He knows what she's thinking, he always had a knack for that. She tries to recompose herself as she reads the message from Coulson, he's pulling her out of the room.

"You always said I could read your mind Bobs, but that's only because you're so transparent. You didn't' come to see me because you cared, did you Bobs. You came because someone told you too. Let me guess, now that Mr. Bossman has what he needs, he wants you to leave." Clint rolls his eyes, not the least bit surprised. Bobbi however picks up a shaded amount of hurt behind his snark.

"Clint… you know that I care." She wishes she could come up with a more comprehensive answer but she can't. Regretfully, she pulls herself up out of her chair.

"You say that Bobs. But do you really? I get it you're just following orders. I used to be that way too, but someday you've got to admit to yourself where the line is. What are you willing to lose for SHIELD? Take it from a man that's lost everything, SHIELD isn't worth losing the ones you care about."

"Clint…" She has no response, this isn't the Clint she knows. Maybe it's the one Hunter always said was hiding beneath the surface of the Clint she knew's skin. "Maybe Hunter should be the one in here." She thinks, but she knows that Hunter won't come, at least not at her suggestion.

"Just go, Bobbi." Clint rolls onto his side despite his broken ribs. She knows it's so she can't see his face. "I was just offering some advice, but you obviously don't want it. There's no need to piss off whoever your new boss is on my behalf. Besides, I'm sure I'll return the coldhearted interrogation bastard routine someday."

"Cl…" She can't stop her voice from cracking.

"Go." Clint's voice is barely a whisper as the closes his eyes. "Just go, Bobs. You don't owe me a damn thing."

Slightly heartsick, Bobbi pulls her hand out of his.

As she walks to exit the room her jaw hardens. She half-wishes that Clint hadn't already killed his brother, because she sure would like to take a go at the man who had broken her unbreakable Clint Barton. When she leaves the room she doesn't even hesitate to talk to Coulson, instead she continues past him. Whenever she's upset there's only one thing that can comfort her and that's a good workout. A pro to being married to Clint for three years had been, she was always in shape.


	2. The ex-best friend

A few hours pass, Clint dozes off and on as various doctors and nurses come to check on him. The whole thing is familiar and exhausting. He half wants them to stop checking on him, they should leave it to the fates to decide whether he survives or not.

Around five o'clock the smell of rum assaults Clint's nose. He rolls over on his side so he can see the door, he's not surprised by its occupant.

"So the scallywag lives." Lance slurs, a bottle of rum in one hand, a cup in the other.

"Seems like I will." Clint grimaces as he brings himself up into a sitting position. "But I could say the same thing to you Lance."

"Yeah well." Hunter crosses the room to sit in the chair Bobbi had occupied a few hours before. "Thought you wouldn't want to see the bloke screwing your ex-wife."

"Bobbi was happy, that was all I cared about Lancy. You know that."

"Yeah well, it wasn't all I cared about. The bitch never stopped loving you, ya know."

"Why are you hear Hunter?" Clint takes the bottle from his hand swallowing a large gulp of it.

"Thought you might want some familiar company. Bobbi told me what happened. I'm real sorry mate. Kate and I knew each other pretty darn well and I'm sad to hear she's gone."

"Her name was Laura." Clint mumbles choking on the name, he clears his throat with another swallow off the bottle.

"Nah mate, maybe you hit your head a little hard, the woman you married was definitely Kate Bishop."

"Kate changed her name to Laura when we married. Fresh start and all."

"I guess I get that." Hunter takes back the bottle. "Fresh starts are nice and all, but from experience I know that someone always tends to fall back into old ways. I mean look at us, two old blokes getting sloshed over women troubles. Don't know about you but that reminds me of old times."

"Kind of does, before you started screwing my lady and all."

"Ouch, mate."

"Just joking with ya, Lance. This is just like old times, thing is that's what bothers me."

"Yeah, well me too ya bastard, me too."

They trade the bottle back and forth, the liquor helps Clint cope with the pain. After about twenty minutes of sitting in silence, Clint starts pulling himself up off the bed.

"Where you think you're going mate?" Hunter stumbles to his feet, he pushes back on Clint's chest trying to make him lie down. Clint pushes back.

"Gotta get going sometime, now might as well be it. Tell whoever it is running this place thanks for their hospitality."

"I can't let you just split mate."

"Sure you can Hunter, cover for me. It'll be just like old times."

"That was covering your bar tab, not your ass."

"I covered your ass more times than you know. Help me out, bub. I can't stay in this place forever. I've got to get on my feet. I've got things I need to plan. People are gonna come looking for me soon and I feel like your boss won't want them tracking me to here." Clint slowly bends over and pulls on his shoes. Hunter panics, not knowing what to do to keep Clint there. Normally he'd use his fists but he knows from experience that even with Barton at his worst, he's no match for the man.

"Oi, Simmons, Fittz, your patient's trying to leave. Bobbi, Skye, Coulson, anyone." Clint stands up and Hunter runs to block the doorway. "Mack." He shouts over his shoulder knowing that they'll hear him soon enough. "I need some goddamn backup in here. Coulson."

"Did you just say Coulson?" Barton stops in his tracks, his face pales considerably, Hunter worries he might faint.

"Just sit down, mate. Looks like the liquor is starting to hit."

"Did you just call for Phil Coulson?" Clint grunts, Hunter quickly realizes his mistake.

"I forgot you thought the man was dead. Look,... just stay here." Hunter ducks out the doorway and takes off at a brisk jog. He guesses that he'll find Coulson in his office so he takes off for there. He hears Barton keep pace with him, even injured it's only a matter of time before the man overtakes him. He just prays he reaches his destination first, he takes off into a sprint.

"Coulson, Mack, Skye, Bobbi, anyone." He shouts when he reaches the common area under Coulson's office, if they're up there he knows he'll be heard. "I've got a situation with Barton, he's…" Hunter's air supply is abruptly cut off as Barton wraps his arm around his neck placing him into a choke hold. The man is remarkably strong for recently being on his deathbed, Hunter's unable to fit him off. Barton knocks out his knees forcing him to the ground.

"Sorry, mate." Barton growls. "I've had a shitty few days and I don't very much take to liars." Before Barton can further hurt him, Coulson's office door opens revealing Bobbi, followed by Mack, May and Coulson.

"Barton." May's voice has a slight panic to it. "He's not lying." Clint looks up his eyes landing on Phil, all fight leaves his body. He extends his hand to help Hunter off the ground.

"Sorry, Lance, guess I'm not over you sleeping with my ex-wife after all." They both chuckle as he pulls Hunter back to his feet. It's only once he's helped Hunter up that he address' Phil.

"You're supposed to be dead." The old familiar words role of Clint's tongue, only their the ones he's used to hearing not saying. It seems that for the time being their roles are reversed.

"And you're supposed to not be a dick." Phil fills in Clint's usual part without hesitation.

"Well, I guess everyone lies." Clint finishes their old welcome dialogue, putting a smile on Phil's face. Phil continues to cross the room, when they're within reasonable distance Clint extends his hand. Phil grabs Clint's extended hand and pulls him into a hug.

"You scared the shit out of me." Phil says, pushing Barton away. "What were you thinking coming here?"

"I needed a safe place."

"So go to a goddamn hospital you idiot. You had no idea if there would be proper facilities here to treat your wounds."

"I couldn't go to a hospital." Clint shudders at the very thought. "They'd have put me in a sanitarium, or worse called Nat."

"Why is that worse?"

"Bobbi didn't tell you?" Clint throws his ex a confused glance.

"I didn't think it was my place, Clint."

"Barney came to visit." Clint looks away from everyone, staring blankly at the cupboard.

"I thought you and him…"

"Were on bad terms, yeah we have been for a long time. It wasn't a friendly visit, Laura was the only one home, I'd gone to the store." Clint's voice breaks. "The bastard murdered them all, even the baby." Clint's muscles suddenly tense up, he grabs the closest thing to him, it happens to be the couch and flips it. Phil's face is twisted in horror at Clint's words but not his actions he expects nothing less. Clint kicks the couch for good measure.

"You want me to send a SHIELD team to track him."

Clint scoffs. "Yeah, like you have that kind of authorization." He kicks the couch again before settling down. "No need anyway, I did what had to be done. Barney's not going to hurt anyone ever again."

"I told you that you should have never given him that fifth chance." Phil's words come out sounding slightly condescending, causing Clint to become violent again. This time he heads for the television. Mack starts to move to stop him, but May interrupts. Barton swings and she takes the hit. At least hitting her seems to sober him some.

"You're right." Clint sighs a defeated breath. "I should have dealt with Barney years ago." Clint drops into a crouched position, his head landing in his hands. Bobbi crosses the room and lays a comforting hand on his shoulder. At Phil's orders, everyone else minus Hunter and Bobbi leave the room. They're the only ones that really know Clint, they're the only ones that can understand him like this. Hunter used to be Clint's best friend, Bobbi his wife, they've both seen him at his worst. Nothing he does right now will change their opinions of him. Clint falls the rest of the way to the floor once the extra eyes are gone. He looks weak and vulnerable as he allows Bobbi to clutch him to her chest. He sighs deeply inhaling her familiar scent. Hunter looks jealous so Coulson sends him to call Natasha. By now someone will have contacted her about Clint's deceased family and his absence. She'll be worried out of her mind and Hunter's probably the only one that can convince her that he's safe. Once Hunter is gone, Phil crouches down in front of Clint and Bobbi.

"Clint." Phil makes the man look at him. "Clint it's alright, you don't have to be strong right now. Bobbi and I don't care if you are or not. It's not going to sway us one bit. I'm sure you're feeling some shitty things, it's okay to let them out." Clint's eyes swell with tears, so many tears that no matter how hard he tries they fall. They fall silently, soaking Bobbi's shirt, but she doesn't mind. She just continues to hold him close to her, the way he had once held her when she was upset. She holds him so tight that it's almost painful for him, but he doesn't mind he honestly thinks it might be all that's keeping him from completely losing it.


	3. SHIELD Gossip

After an intense call with Romanoff, Hunter can't face going back to see Clint. They were once best of friends, but that was ages ago. He'd cut all ties with the guy, and he's still not sure if he wants him back in his life. He knows the others will have questions so he heads to the lab. The moment he crosses the threshold, Simmons is in his face.

"Why isn't Coulson forcing Mr. Barton back into bed. He needs rest, and May won't listen to me."

"Emma, Emma, shhh." Hunter puts a finger to his mouth, and makes a hushing noise. "Barton will be fine, I've seen him go into battle in worse shape than he is right now."

"Whether he can move or not is not the issue here. The issue is if his injuries will heal properly."

"You know what, by all means if you can convince him to go back to medical, go ahead and try. But I know from experience, he's not going back."

"'What exactly does that experience entail?" Skye pauses the video game she and Mack had been playing to pass the time. "You don't exactly seem to like the guy, and I don't know, he doesn't seem to like you."

"Awe, he was just a tad pissed off about what came out of my mouth." Hunter walks to the fridge and pulls out a beer popping the top. "Barton and I go back years, used to be the best of friends."

"What happened between you two?"

"Dunno." Hunter pretends to play innocent while sprawling himself across the couch. "Could have been anything really. I drank too much, he was always working for SHIELD, I was a criminal for a while, he was depressed, I screwed his ex-wife, he disappeared for awhile..."

"Woah, woah, woah." Skye's eyes bulge. "You want to explain that?"

"Oh, Barton is notorious for dropping off the face of the earth."

"Not that, the thing before."

"Oh, yeah. You might have heard earlier that Barton and I share an ex-wife. Well he was married to Bobbi first. He's actually how I met her. Anyhow when their marriage fell to shit and Barton disappeared I realized I had feelings for Bobbi. Next thing I know, I'm with my best mate's ex. I guess I was Bobbi's rebound, only she never really got over him."

"How'd their marriage fall apart?" Skye's absorbed into the story.

"Skye." May speaks from the corner of the room. "It's not really your business."

"Come on May, it's not like it's not common knowledge. They were young and Barton was a bloody mess. Do you know how many times I dragged his sorry ass home to Bobbi? Too many times to count. The worst part was it wasn't bars I was dragging him out of, I could have understood that. No, the bloke just couldn't face life, couldn't face her. Broke her bloody heart he did. No one blamed her when she asked him to split, not even him. He knew what he was doing to her, he just couldn't bring himself to fix it. Coulson should have smacked him upside the head, might have brought him out of it might not have, but it would have at least gotten some kind of reaction. He was practically a zombie. Instead Barton just disappeared off the side of the earth whenever he fancied, leaving his wife at home worrying about him. That relationship wasn't even close to healthy."

"And yours with her was?"

"At least with me, Bobbi knew what she was getting herself into. I told her from the start I was a slosh, and I lived up to that. She'd come find me, smack me upside the head and I'd go home. Case closed, she never had to wonder where I was."

"Did he really have a family?" Fittz speaks at just above a whisper.

"Yeah, mate." Hunter's own voice shows a shadow of the pain Clint's had. He'd never met the kids but Barton had sent Bobbi pictures over the years, Bobbi had gone to visit on occasion. She had said they were angels. "That part was true too."

"Who was the man?" Skye's face shows empathy, herself having lost her family more than once.

"That's the best part Ladies and Gents, the man who killed everyone Barton loved was his own flesh and blood. Barney Barton, the pinnacle of evil. Clint never saw it until it was too late."

"How long have you known Barton?" May asks her eyes narrowing in on Hunter. She's known Clint since he joined SHIELD yet until Bobbi had mentioned that Hunter and Clint were once friends a few years back, she had never realized the two knew each other.

"Long enough. Clint was once one of the few people who knew me in life. Not complaining or anything, but I kind of miss those times."

"How long?"

"Fifteen years?" Hunter offers up his best guess.

"So longer than he's been with SHIELD?"

"Yeah, you think I was the kind of bloke to hang around SHIELD agents? Come on May. You know better than that. Barton and I knew each other through a job, turned out we got along great so we kept in touch. He was my best mate."

"Then how come…?"

"Come off it May, you and I both know Barton's secrets have secrets. Are you really surprised he hid who his best mate was from you all?" Hunter picks himself up off of the couch.

"Hunter, you weren't dismissed."

"Really, cause I thought we were just hanging around. If you want to make a deal of this, by all means go right ahead. But it's going to be your arse explaining things to Romanoff and I don't think she'll take to your version all that lightly seems as you don't have all the pieces.

With that Hunter storms out of the room, headed for the garage side of the base. He'd promised Romanoff that he'd pick her and Clint's other friends up from the airport. Where he'd bring them after that we wasn't quite sure, but he's not about to be the one to stand her up.


	4. Those two kinds of women never get along

It takes Barton a solid hour before he can collect himself enough to pick himself up off the floor. Once he's moving, his actions resemble those of a machine. He washes his face, fixes his skewed clothing, then walks toward the door. His trance is only broken when Coulson steps into his path. His eyes suddenly seem to come alive, while still resembling the amount of emotion a dead man would have. His voice crackles, almost into a growl as he stares down his former friend and SHIELD handler. "Move out of my way."

"Clint, I don't think you should go out there yet."

"I'm fine." He croaks, he takes a breath to clear his throat and gain some authority in his voice. "Now move Phil, before I'm forced to make you move. You and I both know I don't want to do that, but I will. I need to get back to my house, Nat will probably almost be there by now."

"You're not in any condition to fly, Clint. Commercial or Quinjet. You can barely stand."

Clint's brow furrows in confusion. "Do you even know where my house is, Phil? Fury sold me the backlot of this property shortly after I bought the acre the house sits on. If you drive about two miles into the woods behind this place and you land on my property. The house and barn are about a twenty minute drive through the trails I've blaised. If you take the main roads it'll take about an hour to get there." Clint goes to walk past Phil thinking that he's convinced him to let himself go, but Phil stops him. Clint decides to try a new approuch to the situation. "Phil," His voice verges on the edge of begging. "I've got to go back. If Hunter's called Natasha she'll be here soon and if I'm not there she'll come looking for me. She'll find this place, and she's got no idea it exists. Do you really want that?" Clint sees Phil's resolve waver, Nat had always had a flare for dramatics when she's upset and if she found out not only that SHIELD still existed but that Phil was in charge, shit would rain from the skies. "I need to talk to her, Phil. She'll want to kill Stark for not telling her and I've got to talk her out of that. Besides, I just need to talk." Clint lowers his voice on the last sentence, he's worked as a spy for years and he knows that he sounds vulnerable. He hates using his training on Phil, but right now he has no choice.

"You can talk to me." Phil tries to hide the hurt that creeps into his voice, but Clint easily latches onto it. Phil used to be the one person that knew anything about him, and he doesn't like that that's changed but life happens. Clint allows his features to soften to show that he's touched by Phil caring about him.

"I know," As he says this, Clint leans forward. The action is involuntary, his leg which is in pretty bad shape has just given out from underneath him. Not wanting to grip onto Phil, he grabs the door frame, fully aware that he's breaking personal space boundaries but unable to help it. He tries to keep the white hot pain out of his voice as he tries to ease Phil's own hurt. "but not about this."

Phil seems to realize he's fighting a losing battle, so rather than losing completely he decides to compromise. "If you will not stay here, take Bobbi and I with you. I don't think you can drive in your condition, and I know Nat won't mind seeing Bobbi." As Phil speaks, Bobbi comes over and wraps Clint's arm around her neck. She forces him to shift most of his weight onto her, effectively becoming a human crutch.

"I'm not so sure about that." Clint chuckles, remembering the last time Nat and Bobbi were in the same room together but nevertheless he recognizes that he needs help."You two can come." Clint winces as Bobbi accidently touches one of his bruised ribs, she quickly moves her hand away. "But you're going to have to explain to everyone how you're alive, Phil, including me."

"Deal." Phil doesn't even hesitate, he knows that the Avengers might have a hard time accepting his aliveness at first, but he's certain that it won't be too much of a shock. Phil quickly moves to Clint's other side, allowing Clint to put the rest of his weight onto his own shoulders. Both Bobbi and Phil tried to ignore that fact that Clint nearly bites through his lip when he takes his first step, but he's insistent to move forward so they do. Both realize that the liquor Hunter had given him must be wearing off as now every movement brings Clint pain. They're both glad when they reach the car, as they can lay Clint across the backseat. He dozes off once directing Bobbi onto the trails.

When they arrive at Clint's farm house, it look oddly empty. Bobbi pulls up directly in front of the porch so they won't have to move Clint too far before getting him inside. Phil only has to turn around in his seat for Clint to wake up, he's always been a light sleeper, one of the requirements for his line of work. Clint slowly sits up, it's obvious that he's in incredible pain. Phil mentally notes that Simmons will thoroughly chew him out later for removing Barton from medical. As Phil gets out of the car so he can help Clint, another car pulls into the driveway. Phil's hand twitches toward his weapon, but he quickly realizes that it's one of his own vehicles. Hunter and Romanoff must be inside of it. Phil moves to the other side of the vehicle where Bobbi has already gotten Clint out of the car and is starting to help him get up the stairs. He takes Barton's other side and they move much faster. They've just gotten Clint inside and seated on the couch when Hunter's car load of people burst into the house. Bobbi quickly excuses herself to raid Clint's medicine cabinet for possible pain killers.

Phil watches as not only Hunter and Romanoff enter the room, but also Stark, Rogers, Thor, the Vision and Wanda Maximoff.

"You had to bring the kids." Clint jokes but a flash of pain nearly cuts the words short. Phil silently wonders if it's from physical pain or emotional. He doesn't dare ask for fear of the answer. Clint never shows emotion, Phil has seen him show more today than perhaps the entire time he's known the man and that scares him.

"They were concerned as I was once they knew." Nat crosses the room and places a kiss on Clint's cheek. Her eyes flash to Phil, she's so shocked by him being there that she has to do a double take. "Apparently so was a dead man." Nat's voice is cool, Phil knows that means she's hurt. He looks away quickly. Nat turns back to Clint and hits him upside the head. Clint calls out. "What the hell were you thinking, asshole. Why would you tell Stark, of all people, what happened before me?" Tony shares a sheepish look with Clint. Clint knows that the man has already been chewed out.

"I knew Stark could make the arrangements to make sure things got taken care of, but stayed out of the papers and police reports." Clint mumbles, acting much like a reprimanded child.

"So could I." Nat yells, hurting Clint's ears as his hearing aids screech. He visibly winces at the noise they make. Nat thankfully realizes what she just did and lowers her voice. "Clint, it's just. When Hunter called, I was so worried."

"I know Nat, I was going to call you myself, right after I called Stark, I just couldn't. I didn't…" He trails off, takes a breath then redirects himself. "I needed to get medical attention, Hunter just happened to be where I went to get it. So don't be mad at me for finding him before you." Clint watches as Nat's eyes suddenly widen, then narrow to slits. He follows her gaze only for his eyes to land on Bobbi, who thankfully has managed to find Laura's supply of ibuprofen. "What is she doing here." Nat hisses, her hands twitching for her baton secured to her hip like it always is. Bobbi had learned her weapon of choice from Nat and now Nat was ready to turn it against her.

"I'm only helping Clint, Natasha." Bobbi keeps her voice low and even, trying not to provoke Nat. "Just like you."

"You don't have the right." Nat hisses, taking a step toward Bobbi. Steve, who knows Nat enough to know Bobbi won't live if she gets close enough, wraps his arm around her. As Bobbi sidesteps the pair to get to Clint, Nat spits in her face, afterwards muttering an obscenity in russian. Bobbi, despite wanting to retaliate with every bone in her body, swallows her pride to tend to Clint, who she notes is getting whiter and whiter by the second. She hands him both a glass of water and three ibuprofen. She'd give him the bottle but old habits die hard, and Clint was once a pill abuser. She privately notes that he might still be one, given how hard it was to find the pills in the first place.

"Thanks, Bobs." Clint polishes off the glass and the pills. Once they're both gone, he slowly moves to his feet, Bobbi helps him stabilize himself once he's standing. When she sees Nat's face she quickly lets go of him. Hunter takes her place, silently.

"Does anyone else want to get out of here, or is that just me?" Clint asks, walking toward the stairs. He won't be coming back here, possibly ever, so he wants to pack up his things. Thor and Wanda realize what he intends and instead head that way.

"Stay down here." Wanda instructs Clint sternly. "We'll pack your things." With that both she and Thor disappear into the upper level of the house. Which leaves the others in a rather awkward standoff, none knowing exactly what to address first. After about a minute Clint can't take the silence any longer.

"Sorry, I'm being kind of rude." Clint motions to Hunter who is still standing at his side. Clint tries to tell himself that Hunter's not the only thing keeping him standing up, but not even his willpower can overcome such an obvious fact. "Everyone, this is Lance Hunter, but most call him by his surname. He used to be one of my best mates."

"Ouch, Barton." Hunter pretends to be hurt. "I'd say you still are one of my best mates, but I guess I now know where I stand with you."

"Hunter we haven't talked in almost nine years."

"Doesn't make us any less of friends." Clint knows that Hunter is trying to ease the tension in the room, and he's grateful for that.

"Alright." Clint pretends to concede. "This is Hunter, my best mate."

"Too late, Barton, damage is done."

Clint reluctantly turns to Bobbi who has retreated to the Kitchen doorway, which is on the opposite side of the room as Nat. "And this is Bobbi Morse."

"How does a beautiful woman like yourself know such a site for sore eyes like Clint?" Stark asks a cheesy smile on his face as he too tries to cut through the tension held between the two ladies in the room.

Bobbi puts on a half smile, Clint knows that that smile well. "I used to be married to the lush." Her words sound harsh but she says them with such tender care that anyone can see she still cares for Clint.

"That explains so much." Stark, looks from Romanoff to Morse and back again. "The ex-wife and the best friend never get along."

"Shut up, Stark." Nat growls.

"I'm just…"

"Speak one more word and lose your tongue." She threatens, luckily Tony seems to realize that she's not joking. Thankfully before things can get much worse, Thor and Wanda return with Clint's packed bags. They both lead the way out to the cars. Clint gets into a car once more with Phil and Bobbi, but this time Nat and Hunter also join them. Phil drives, and not knowing where else to go, he decides it's time that the Avengers see his secret base.


	5. Confessions of the Past

When they arrive at the base, Bobbi disappears almost immediately under the pretense of preparing rooms for their new guests, but Clint knows it's to escape Nat. Not that Bobbi has to worry since Nat instructs Phil to lead her to his office almost as soon as they arrive. She doesn't invite Clint or anyone else to accompany them. Which leaves Hunter to accompany everyone inside. He helps Clint out of the car, when the others see him struggling, Tony and Thor come over to support him. Hunter nods his thanks before taking point. He swipes his ID to gain them all access into the compound, once in the hallway inside however he blanks on where to take them. Thankfully he's quickly saved by a raging Simmons.

"That man needs medical attention." Simmons roars, poking Hunter in the chest, she seems to be temporarily oblivious to those that are with him. "What were Coulson, Bobbi and yourself thinking taking him out of here? He was practically dead this morning. He needs rest and proper medical monitoring."

"I don't disagree." Hunter decides to surrender. He motions for Stark and Thor to follow him. As he walks, Simmons falls into step with him, not done ranting.

"You obviously do disagree, or otherwise you wouldn't have helped him leave."

"Barton's a big boy, Simmons. He wouldn't have listened if I tried to stop him. The least I could do was go along with him to make sure he didn't die." They arrive at the lab, Simmons already has a table cleared for Barton. Thor and Stark help him onto the table, Clint reluctantly holds his arms out as Simmons begins working.

"Do you need privacy?" Hunter feels awkward in the lab like usual.

"Not at all, but if you'd like to make yourself useful, you can go find Fitz and Skye."

"You positive you want Quakes around these guys?" Hunter cocks an eyebrow at the Avengers. For the first time it seems to dawn on Simmons exactly who is in her company. She gawks for a moment, before snapping abruptly out of it when Clint clears his throat.

"She's better help than you. At least she knows the difference between a blood bag and a tissue sample bag. Now go."

"Am I gonna be okay doc?" Clint offers her a playful smile as she begins accessing his injuries.

"You'd be better if you stop moving, Mr. Barton."

"Call me Clint." He winces as she presses on his rib cage.

"Four broken ribs. How are you not in constant pain?"

"I've had worse."

"How can you possibly have had worse. It seems like every part of your body is damaged."

"I've been dead before." Clint shrugs. "That was worse."

"You've been…"

"Dead. Not like Coulson. Nothing as long as that. I think I maxed out at twenty minutes."

"Clint?" Steve steps forward. "Is there anything we can do?"

Barton winces due to Simmons before shrugging. "Not much." He says biting his lip. He has to fight off the urge to kick Simmons.

Thankfully Bobbi comes into the room. "Simmons, I'd ease up." She says noting Clint's pained expression. "He's an attacker even when he doesn't mean to be." She then turns to the other occupants in the room. "If you'll all come with me, we've prepared some rooms for you to stay in for however long it is you'll be here." The others slowly collect themselves and follow her out of the room. As they leave, Skye, Fittz and Lincoln all arrive.

"Fittz, I need you to prep the x-ray. I think Mr. Barton has some internal injuries. Lincoln since you're here, can you set up a heart monitor? And Daisy I need hydrating fluid hooked up to an IV, and various blood bags filled with…" Simmons looks to Barton for his blood type. Clint only shrugs. Luckily Phil arrives in time to bail him out.

"Type AB negative." Phil turns to Barton. "How do you still not know your blood type? What are you still five?"

"I've always got someone else around who knows it." Clint shrugs. "Plus most of the time it's needed I'm unconscious. Where'd Nat go?"

"I sent her to the gym. She said she needed to blow off some steam. I was hoping she'd do it on a dummy rather than Bobbi's head."

"You picked up on that?"

"You'd have to be dead not to pick up on that."

"If you say so. It didn't use to be so obvious."

"Nat didn't always hate Bobbi." Phil says with a shake of his head. "It might have seemed that way to you. Seems how you're as dense as lead, but they use to get along pretty well. Wasn't until you and Bobbi split that Bobbi became a bad taste in Nat's mouth."

"How do you know all this?"

Phil shrugs. "I listen." He then turns away from Clint. "Daisy, I need you to report to my office as soon as possible." Phil turns back to Clint. "You should try it sometime."

"I listen." Clint protests.  
"No, you don't." Phil says it with such authority that this time Clint doesn't argue. With that Phil leaves the room, leaving an awkward silence in his absence. Clint heaves a sigh then closes his eyes while Simmons and Lincoln begin working on him. It's not long before he's drifted off into sleep.

"So, Buddy, you want to tell me the story between you and the hot blond?" Tony had come to bring Clint his dinner. The assassin is under strict orders from the pushy biochemist to stay in bed for the next few days. So far, he'd been playing along, at least now that Coulson got it cleared for him to leave the lab and recover in the comforts of a private room. Clint's friends had all stayed at the base to watch over his recovery and help him deal with his grief. They'd taken turns coming to tell him stories. From what Clint gathered, they all liked it here. And surprisingly the SHIELD Agents didn't mind hosting them. Stark and the boy called Fittz had hit it off well, the two had been building and exchanging ideas for days. Which had meant out of everyone Clint had seen the billionaire the least.

"That's a long story, you sure you've got time for that Stark?"

"Sure, the kid and I've taken the night off. He's got a date with the Biochemist or something lame like that. So i'm all yours."

"What do you want to know?"

"How about everything, I mean that woman is extremely out of your league. Which is probably why it didn't work out between you two…"

"That's not why." Clint mumbles, looking shyly toward the ground.

"Really, cause I find that hard to believe. Come on Birdbrain, spill your guts."

"I don't know where to start."

"How about the beginning. Out of everyone I know the least about you, I even know more about Nat than you."

"The beginning of what, Stark? My life isn't divided up into sections by clean cut lines."

"How'd you meet the girl?"

"That's a complicated story."

"Yeah, I'm getting that. Look if you don't want to talk you don't have to Barton, I can tell when someone's avoiding a topic."

"Nah, nah. I got this. Bobbi and I didn't meet like most people do, but we met in a place that's common enough, a bar."

"This all happened before I joined SHIELD. Not many people know about my history before and I were in drinking after a heist. It was before my time at SHIELD, which you might want to know means I was fourteen. Bobbi came in, eyes wild. She knew what we had done, it had been her family we'd robbed. We hadn't taken much, a few paintings worth a few million each, some cash they'd stashed around their house that added up to roughly a million, and a television. We'd been hired by some rival of her families to take the paintings, the cash and the television were just our way of giving ourselves a bonus. But believe me, the things we took were barely a blip on the wealth that family had. Still apparently Bobbi had seen us as we were leaving. She was older than me but not by much, only three years. Hunter was a year her senior.

"Anyway, she walked right up to me and smacked me hard across the face. All conversation in the room stopped, she shouted called me an ass. Hunter tried to stand up for me, but she shut him down. Then she leaned in real close to my ear and whispered 'Let's take someplace a little more private.' She grabbed my arm and lead me into a private room, Hunter thankfully followed. The moment the door was shut she shoved me up against the wall and threatened me. She said that if I didn't give back the things I took she'd find me again and next time she'd gut me. I believed her, but Hunter and I had already sold handed over the paintings to our buyer and the television was already in it's permanent home of our loft. So I grinned and told her that I'd like to see her try. She didn't like that. She hit me again, this time she broke my lip. Hunter stepped in all high and mighty and tried to stop her but she dropped him to the ground. Even then, Bobbi knew how to fight. I told her the truth and for some reason she believed me, only she had run out of a plan. She took a seat at the table and motioned for me to do the same. I think it was only then that she realized I was younger than her. Anyway, we talked for a while and eventually we parted on better terms. We even exchanged phone numbers to keep in touch."

"So Robin Hood was once a thief. Let me guess, you gave what you stole to the poor."

Clint snorts. "Not exactly, I was the poor, at least in my mind. Before I got involved with SHIELD, my life was a shit storm. Afterwards it was too, but before it was a different kind of shit storm. I don't think you know this, unless Tasha told you. But I was an orphan, my father killed my mother in a drunken car accident when I was six. He was hospitalized for months in a coma before he finally left the world, but for better or worse my brother and I were considered orphans the moment he hit the other car. I wasn't sad to see him go, he was abusive. I'd run away more times than I could count to escape his fists… Barney helped me sometimes. Other times, he helped my father..." Clint trails off for a minute lost in the memories. Tony tries not to let what is going through his mind be displayed across his face but it's hard. He half wishes he could bring back Clint's dad just to kill him again.

"Anyway, once dear old dad was dead, Barney and I were sent to a home which was basically an orphanage. Would have been an upgrade from how we had been living, if the guy who ran it wasn't a pedophile. He left the older boys, like Barney alone…." Clint trails off again. This time Tony can see the thoughts, the memories cross Clint's face. The expressions and the knowledge of what they mean makes Tony want to puke. "I'd let him pick on me, so he'd leave the other boys alone." Clint finally finishes. "I knew Barney was around the home, and I thought that once he heard about what was happening he'd help me… what I didn't know was that Barney knew all along. Still not even Barney would let the bastard kill me, which is what almost happened. I started running away like I had from my dad. Only unlike when I came back for my dad, coming back there made things worse. Barney heard me screaming the night that man pulled a knife on me. He didn't come right away, but he did come right after. He found me hiding in the shadows of the woods outside. It had been as far as I could get away from the place. Barney had already packed all out things, they were in backpacks on his back. He picked me up off the ground and carried me all the way to the hospital. He told the clerks there that I had been in a knife fight. They stitched me back up, then Barney smuggled me out. He robbed some small boutique and pawned his finds. He bought us train tickets and a small supply of food with the money. We rode the rails until the money and food ran out. That was how we ended up at the circus." Clint stops talking very suddenly, he seems to realize that he's gotten off track. "Sorry, Stark you wanted to know about Bobbi."

"Nah, it's fine. Sounds like this is stuff you need to get off your chest. I'm gonna guess it'll lead back to Bobbi anyway.

"The circus isn't exactly a can or worms I want to reopen. So let's skip that part." Clint thinks a moment about what to say next. "Eventually I ran away from the circus too. I was around ten when I finally left. I didn't have anywhere to really go, but while at the circus I had gained a particularly useful skill set. I had learned how to shoot an arrow. Even then, my aim was uncanny, I had never missed. I had never learned how to miss." Clint lets out a mostly humourless laugh. "Like most kids on their own do, I found my way into a jail cell. While there even though I was only locked up a few days, I met a man who knew exactly what I could do with my skill set. Once he got out himself, he talked to his boss. A few hours later, his boss pretended to be my dad and bailed me out. The next thing I knew I was working for the mob as an assassin." Clint takes a minute to breathe, his lungs suddenly felt empty of air. Tony recognizing the symptoms of a panic attack, gets ready to call someone in. Thankfully Clint manages to calm himself down. "That's how I got on SHIELD's radar. While working for the mob and those my boss lended me out too, I killed almost six hundred people. I had stumped every police investigation. The FBI didn't know what to think of me. The CIA, the Marines, the Army, the Navy and the Coast Guard were all after me. I killed internationally. Always with an arrow, but never with a trace. They investigated thousands of men and women as potential suspects, but they never thought to look for a child. Even SHIELD didn't look in the right place, at least not at first."

"I left the mob around the time I was thirteen. I was one of the most wanted people in the world. They couldn't use me anymore, it was getting too risky, so they let me walk freely as long as I promised to never talk about them if I was caught. I agreed willingly and took to the streets of New York City." Clint pauses just long enough for Tony to consider leaving. " That's how I met Hunter. He was the head of a little gang at the time. I say little but it was close to twenty boys and men he oversaw. It was like the mob, only smaller and without all the killing. I recognized I would fit right in. Lucky for me, so did Hunter. Only took him two minutes after meeting me to offer me a job. When I wasn't working, while I was in the mob, they had taught me every trick they knew. Soon after I joined, Hunter saw that he could downsize his operation in numbers. I became his only employee. We were well off. I was still young, he wasn't much older only my senior by a few years so we shared a place in Brooklyn. We lived that way for a little over two years. Our partnership only ended when SHIELD finally found me. Apparently even though I had left the assassination business, they still wanted me dead. Thankfully, a young recently promoted level eight agent had been assigned to my case. On the downside, that man was also the only reason SHIELD ever found me. He looked in all the places everyone else had never thought to look. He found out about my time at the circus and tracked me backwards then forwards from there. I don't know how he ever found me in New York. All I know is one day there was a knock on the apartment door, then it was broken down. Next thing I know Phil Coulson was introducing himself and then offering me a job. He completely ignored Hunter, but he made it clear that if I didn't leave with him I would be dead. He gave me just enough time to collect my things, then he promptly threw a sack over my head and escorted me to DC."

By this time, Tony is laughing quite hard. When he manages to catch his breath there is a twinkle in his eye. "Good old Agent does know how to make an impression, doesn't he."

Clint smiles too. "Yeah he does." Clint's smile slowly grows bigger. "But too bad for him, so do I. Phil escorted me to Fury himself. Apparently the World Council had ordered me dead. The only reason Phil hadn't already killed me was because given my age Fury had been convinced by Phil that I might still be someone they could save. Fury explained that to me and I promptly spit in his face."

"You spit in Fury's face?" Had Tony had a drink in his hand it definitely would have just been sprayed across the room.

A full fledge grin breaks across Clint's face. "Like I said, I make an amazing first impression even when I'm not under mind control. You probably think I should be dead for that. And believe me I think the thought crossed Fury's mind; for some reason though me spitting in his face only gained his respect. Instead of killing me on the spot he assigned me to training. Phil personally escorted me to the academy. I was only there four days before I graduated. The fastest graduation time ever from a SHIELD academy."

"Bit of a bragger aren't you?"

"Nah, I'm just giving you the facts. Anyways, once I graduated, Coulson decided to let me go back to New York. He put a tail on me, that much was obvious, but I was allowed to go back to the loft where Hunter and I lived. Kid nearly choked on his whiskey when I walked back into the bar. He was talking to Bobbi, apparently he was trying to recruit her as a new partner. I pretended to take offense. He pretended that he never thought I was dead and things went back to normal only Bobbi joined our group. Hunter needed her cause with SHIELD on my ass I couldn't help him like I used too. Coulson was willing to overlook infractions Hunter and Bobbi made as long as I didn't participate. He always said what they did was below his pay grade and it wasn't even worth his time to tip off the police. So I hung around the house, while those too had all the fun. Somehow even with all the time they spent together, I won over Bobbi." Clint chuckles. "Our first date was a disaster. Hunter made us almost an hour late to our reservations by holding up the bathroom. Then ten minutes into eating our appetizers, Phil came in and told me that we needed to leave. Bobbi had no idea that I worked for SHIELD so she told him to bugger off. I tried to tell her that I had to go but she called Phil a few names then grabbed his arm and flipped him over her back, then told me to run. We ran out of the restaurant and into a nearby but not too close store. SHIELD descended and all hell broke loose. Phil eventually found is making out in the back of a book store. He took it's both into his custody. After a rather long lecture on his part, I was sent to Bermuda for an intelligence opp. I never got to see Bobbi before I left. When I got back two months later, Bobbi was a level one SHIELD agent training in the Academy. Coulson wouldn't let me contact her, but he did let me go back to Hunters. Only this time it was just long enough to collect my remaining things and tell him I was leaving New York. Fury had ordered that I be relocated to DC, so Phil made me obey. What Phil couldn't stop, was Hunter moving with me. Few days after I had been reassigned, I see him walk into the bar I'm drinking at. He claps me on the back, calls me an asshole then orders himself a drink. I continued to work for SHIELD, he continued his work on the wrong side of the law, eventually becoming a mercenary. We met up every night for a round at the pub. Life was good until Bobbi came back. Then things got complicated." Clint sighs then glances at the clock. It's now late, and his eyes are getting heavy. "I'll tell you the rest some other time. For now, why don't you tell me what's been going on around here?" Realizing that Clint is emotionally exhausted, Tony complies with the assassin's wishes and launches into a riveting tale of a joke that he and Thor had pulled over Coulson just hours before. As Tony talks, Clint slowly drifts off to sleep, his dinner long forgotten and cold on his bedside table.


	6. Physical Challenges

It takes a few more days, but Clint manages to get on his feet once more. The Avengers all get called away about a week into his recovery, and after much assurance that he won't die, they answer the call. After their departure, Clint is generally left alone, the doctor, Simmons comes to check on him twice a day but she's his only visitor. About a week and a half after his attack, Clint manages to get up from his bed. It's painful to move, but the pain is at a level he is used to enduring. He moves about the room, finding that the dresser is stocked with standard shield uniforms in his size, he changes into them. Another sweep of the room and he finds a couple of guns, holsters, a pair of knives and their sheaves, and finally his bow and quiver which was stashed under his bed. He straps the various weapons to his body, then with a slight limp, he wanders into the hallway.

He meets very few agents in the hallways and those that he does see, he doesn't recognize. He knows that they recognize him, one of the things he hates most about being an Avenger, but they thankfully leave him alone. He walks down the familiar hallways, but he finds himself lost as he attempts to locate the shooting range. He has to stop every few minutes to lean against the wall and take deep breathes. He knows that he shouldn't be out of bed, his entire body is in protest of his movements, but he can't stay in that room any longer. He'll go insane if he continues to only have his thoughts as company. So he pushes through the pain, it isn't too hard for short periods of time, he had trained himself years before to deal with pain. It was often essential for his survival that he could push through anything, the one thing that is currently affecting this skill is the lack of adrenaline in his body. It's much harder to keep moving when every part of his mind is screaming that he is safe and that he shouldn't move. But somehow he manages, and he manages to find the shooting range. He had taken a wrong hallway, his usual quarters at the base were not where he was currently being housed and the change had thrown off his mental map of the building.

When he reaches the range, he programs the targets to be moving. He then locks himself in the room. He pulls out his bow and with a precision that can only come from intense practice and natural skill, he begins taking out the targets. The repetitive action of pulling back his bow is soothing, it settles his restless mind and allows him to focus. He shoots the entire quiver of arrows, then retrieves them, only to begin again. He empties the quiver five times before he begins to feel as if he's being watched. He shakes the feeling off as old paranoia and keeps shooting but it doesn't go away. Finally, with his last arrow, he spins and shoots toward the observation window, the glass surprisingly shatters. Clint had thought it would be bulletproof. But his shock doesn't come even close to rivaling that of those who had been watching him. He watches as Coulson, May, Bobbi, the doctor Simmons and her counterpart Fittz, Mack, Hunter and the girl Coulson had adopted as the "new Clint", all slowly stand up. His arrow had been unexpected by all, including himself. He hadn't conciously decided to shoot the window, the action had simply been a reflex. He felt as if he was being watched from that direction so he took the shot to confirm the feeling.

Clint watches a sheepish smile slowly spreads across Coulson's face. Clint is reminded of a look his son had often given him when Clint had caught him eating sweets before dinner. The memory is blinding, and it causes him more pain than if someone had just stabbed him in the back. He feels his leg give out from underneath him, and suddenly his face hits the floor. He doesn't even attempt to get up, he feels that his nose has just broken so he rolls onto his side but he just allows it to bleed. He doesn't have any energy to move, his entire mind is frozen by the grief remembering his son has caused him. It takes a full minute before he's able to get himself up into a sitting position. By that time, the doctor has already arrived. She begins scolding him for being out of bed, not realizing that his collapse wasn't due to his physical injuries. He allows her to baby him for only a few seconds before pushing her away. He scoots himself back and stands up, wincing as he pinches his nose in an attempt to stop the blood flow.

"I'm fine." He says to her, the words coming out garbled due to the blood currently clogging his throat. He clears his throat, spitting it onto the ground. He then carefully resets his nose, as he's done so many times before. He grimaces as the cartilage moves but the pain is quickly gone. He collects his bow and straps it to his back. He then begins collecting his arrows from around the room taking particular care to demonstrate just how uninjured he wants to appear. He hears the doctor hem and haw, but overall she seems to accept that he won't allow her to help him. By accident, he looks toward Coulson, and he knows that he hasn't fooled him. But he doesn't care, Coulson is no longer his keeper. He owes the man nothing, and he doesn't have to listen to him. When his arrows are collected, he exits the room altogether. Had he not been interrupted by them watching him, he probably would have shot for another few hours as he was just getting warmed up. But now he has no desire to shoot, so he heads for the nearest workout room. This one has no windows, and it has a lock on the door which he bolts. He then begins punching anything he can find. The workout is rhythmic and in perfect form, but it's also his way of blowing off some steam. He punches, kicks, and generally works on his fighting technique until he physically can not continue. When he's done, he just collapses in the middle of the room. All the thoughts he was trying to avoid catch up to him, and suddenly overwhelm him. So he pulls his knees to his chest and does the one thing that disgusts him and sobs. He sobs until the tears will no longer come. He then slowly collects himself, locking all his thoughts away, and readjusting his mind to adapt to the physical pain he is in, he manages to get himself up off the floor. He finds that his stomach is ravenously growling, so with a final sigh of collection, he starts toward the door in an effort to find something to eat.


End file.
